1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a sample carrying device and a vacuum apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In vacuum apparatuses such as scanning electron microscope or an FIB (Focused Ion Beam) system, a sample carrying rod is used to carry a sample from a preparatory chamber to a sample stage in a sample chamber. Such a sample carrying rod is required to be long enough for carrying a sample from a preparatory chamber to a sample stage, and protrudes from the preparatory chamber when it does not carry a sample. Accordingly, a worker may come in contact with the sample carrying rod protruding out of the preparatory chamber.
Therefore, various sample carrying devices that can stow a sample carrying rod when it does not carry a sample have been proposed. For example, a sample carrying device that includes a rotary unit integrally formed with a sample carrying rod at an end of a preparatory discharge chamber and rotates the rotary unit at a predetermined angle such that the sample carrying rod is positioned in a predetermine direction, up/down and left/right from the sample carrying direction has been proposed in Patent Document 1. According to the sample carrying device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the sample carrying rod does not protrude to be a hindrance.